


tired eyes, meet courtesy

by jisumn



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Bad Weather, Fic Exchange, Implied Meanie, Implied Soonhoon, In more ways than one, M/M, Merry Christmas, Some Humor, Tragedy, bff gyuhao, cuddling kinda, lots of fluff, some members aren’t mentioned rip, sorry - Freeform, staying the night at the mall, vernon is such an angel, worker x customer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 08:04:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17138072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jisumn/pseuds/jisumn
Summary: minghao finds more than fleeting comfort in the bittersweet scent of pinecone and mint. he faintly tastes it on his tongue,but he’s just so cold.





	tired eyes, meet courtesy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hemothorax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hemothorax/gifts).



> for the blind comic stans secret santa fic exchange! hope u like it lei and i hope u have a happy holiday !!! stay warm lol
> 
> (i misread the correction to ur prompt so it’s not chancheol and some details are different i am so sorry omg)

minghao softly winced as he watched the cup of macchiato in his hands shatter into little pieces against the stainless café floor. he blinked his tired eyes closed for a passing second, and before he knew it, he had a perfectly good cup of scalding expresso pooling around his worn down nikes. 

to make matters even worse, this wasn’t the first thing that he had broken that day. multiple plates had already suffered the same fate that the cup had, and the brunette feared that he would end up smashing every single dish they had if he didn’t get some shut eye soon. 

“hey, hao, are you okay?” 

minghao gave his cheery manager a tiny smile of reassurance, but he was sure the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes were a dead give away that he was feeling pretty awful. 

“yeah,” and after a brief pause, “i think i just need to get more sleep.”

a breezy grin adorned the latter’s bright face as he nodded enthusiastically, “i remember being your age. glad i finally graduated,” a deep sigh, “yet i’m still working at this damn mall.” 

“soonyoung… you’re only a year older than me,” the former finished carefully cleaning up the broken porcelain, “and it’s nice here.” 

“yeah, you’re right about that. this place is so nice that if you’re feeling too tired, i’m sure wonwoo would love to clean up for you tonight.” 

the raven haired boy behind the cashier sent soonyoung a look of feigned annoyance, but after a short stare down between the hushed duo, nodded begrudgingly. 

with that, minghao bowed slightly in the direction of the elder boy, getting a faint mumble in return. the two hadn’t been on very good terms since the incident with mingyu in grade school, and minghao shivered slightly just reminiscing the horrid memory. mingyu had told him that wonwoo hardly remembered what had happened, but the brunette had never fully recovered and was still somewhat intimidated by him. it was just his luck that they had ended up as coworkers and neighbors, meaning that minghao ran into him at least twice a day. 

“be careful getting home, hao! i think the roads are icy now, and the snow is really heavy.” soonyoung speculated. 

“yeah, thank you. be safe too.” minghao gestured to the both of them. 

“well that’s a given,” wonwoo shrugged. 

“of course. jihoon is taking me home, so i’ll be extra, extra, extra safe!” soonyoung gasped dramatically, “oh, talking about that, he should be here soon. wonwoo, i have the keys in the other room so just lock the back before you leave. night guys!” 

minghao bowed again, before he slipped his thin jacket on, cursing his terrible morning judgement. he exhaled into the winter air, and fished his pockets for his car keys. 

he almost wanted to cry as he realized he had the café’s keys instead. the former remembered placing his jacket down next to soonyoung’s, so they must have gotten mixed up just now. he slowly walked back to the mall building, the cold of the wind nipping his fingertips, ears, and the front of his red nose. there was more snow now, almost too heavy to drive in, covering the ground, and minghao wanted nothing more than to curl up in the inviting warmth of his bed. 

he entered through the back with a spare key that soonyoung had gifted him after he had worked there for quite some time, and realized wonwoo must have closed the café the same way. internally cursing at his bad luck, he considered his options. he had no car to get home, his family was visiting anshan for the holidays, and the snow was excessive now, blanketing the almost silent roads. 

he drew icy air into his lungs, and situated himself onto the coffee stained couch of the dark café, soft yawns leaving his mouth. he was sure he would have drifted off, if it wasn’t for the loud crash a few feet away from him. 

minghao froze in mindless curiosity and felt a cold shiver go down his spine. the mall had been closed fifteen minutes ago and was pitch black by now. this was it, he thought bitterly, he was going to die all because he had grabbed the wrong keys. 

instead of anything sinister, however, a boy about the brunette’s age hesitantly walked into the café, somehow looking nervous and calm at the same time. 

“hello?” 

the former sat upright, “…hello” 

“who are you?” 

minghao scoffed, “i should be asking you the same thing. i work here.” 

now, with the latter so close to him, minghao could make out the finer details of the other. his blonde hair was unkempt and kept snug in a black beanie, which seemed to perfectly match his messy and strange ambience. the one thing minghao couldn’t keep his eyes off, though, were his shoes, if he could even call them that. it was the end of december and the teen in front of him had a pair of bright pink crocs on. had they been in any other situation, maybe minghao would have laughed. 

“i thought i left my bag here.” it was kept simple and short, and it almost made the brunette want to pull his hair out. 

“okay,” he sighed, “and did you find it? why are you still here?” 

“no. i came with my grandmom. she has pretty bad memory so she kinda just left me here i guess,” he shrugged, “but she’s a good driver. we wouldn’t let her on the road otherwise.” 

despite himself, minghao found himself laughing, and ignored the odd look the stranger sent him. he was sure he was delirious by now, being so tired and hungry, and would giggle at the littlest of things. 

“sorry,” the former finally spoke, “i’m xu minghao. i’m crashing here for the night.” 

“oh, uh, i’m chwe hansol, but most people just call me vernon,” after a terse pause, he continued, “and if you’re wondering, the crocs were a dare from one of my friends. i swear i would never wear these ugly things out of the house otherwise.” 

minghao snorted, “so you’ll wear them in the house?” 

“well, i mean… they’re comfortable i guess.” 

minghao sent him a look. 

he let out a sound of indignation, “you don’t believe me? have you never worn crocs? these things are comfy and don’t lie.” 

“no, i’ve never found myself inclined to buying, much less wearing, crocs,” the brunette laughed again. 

“you’re missing out then. they have this like… foam? i dunno but it apparently helps protect your foot or something, and-“ vernon hesitated, “sorry if i’m annoying you.” 

minghao stared at the latter, and couldn’t help but think about the melancholic feeling of a forlorn sadness that would come and go, smothering him. he was exhausted, and his heart was out on his sleeve. “don’t worry about it. i’m kind of glad you’re here,” minghao swallowed, “i know we’re not friends or anything, but it’s comforting.” 

vernon tilted his head slightly, and let a delicate grin tug at his chapped lips, “yet,” 

the brunette turned to look at him with innocuous wonder reflecting in his wide eyes, “yet..? what do you mean?” 

the blonde shrugged, “you said that we’re not friends, but in a situation like this, you never know,” a boyish smile, “and i like talking to you, minghao.” 

luckily, under the dim light of the moon, vernon couldn’t see the warm pink that dusted minghao’s puffed out cheeks. he was sure the cold was getting to him now, since his chilly fingers began to tingle, and he felt something akin to coziness bubble in his chest. 

“you look cold… if i could find my bag i think i brought an extra jacket. hold on,” vernon said, “let me look for a bit.” 

the brunette didn’t know what took over him, but he found himself shaking his head immediately. he was just so drained. 

“can you just… not leave?” 

the blonde looked surprised for a second, but nodded quickly. he took a seat next to minghao on the tattered couch, leaving a few breaths of space between them. even with the little distance, minghao could vaguely smell an aroma off of vernon that paralleled sweet pinecone and airy mint, and he found peace in the way it clouded his mind and left his eyes fluttering shut. he exhaled softly and felt as his consciousness slowly ebbed away into a momentary sense of quiet fondness. 

vernon, in an attempt to keep them both warm, slipped his jacket around minghao and himself, and closed the space between them. everything about the blonde was so familiar, yet brand new, and minghao was sure he would regret leaning against his shoulder in the wake of the morning, but in that brief second, he was sure nothing could keep him as warm as the lanky and awkward arms of the other boy. 

“vernon?” minghao inquired after a few beats of silence had passed. 

“hm?” 

“what did you break just now? before you saw me?” 

he felt the blonde stiffen against him, but it was short lived and he relaxed soon after, “ugh, i don’t even want to think about it. there go my savings.” 

minghao giggled faintly, “pretty sure we have a position open here… if you want to, of course.” he quickly corrected. 

vernon whipped his head to the side to face minghao, “please.” 

“we’ll… talk in the morning. goodnight, vernon.” 

“no, wait,” he suddenly swallowed, “are you warm?” 

if it caught the brunette by surprise, he didn't show it. while nodding he said, “i am. thank you.” 

minghao closed his eyes once more, and smiled into the latter’s shoulder, his cold frame melting against the younger as vernon hugged him tighter and more securely. he could stay like this forever, on the aged couch situated in the mall, if it meant being with the stranger he found youthful fondness and sentiment in. slowly, he drifted off. 

after the blonde was sure the former was asleep, he carefully traded shoes with the brunette, and smirked at his work proudly. 

“he’ll see how comfortable these crocs are in the morning.” and then a more sad smile graced his face as he gently hovered his hand over minghao’s chest. 

he looked over at the hushed clock, and squinted his eyes carefully. it had been a bit over ten minutes. sighing wistfully, he brushed the brunette’s disheveled bangs out of his face, and tenderly placed the back of his warm hand against minghao’s cheek, which had lost it’s flush of color. vernon waited a few more seconds before pulling away from the former, and untwining their fingers. everything was cold again, and suddenly there was no couch, but the sound of quiet chatter down the muted hall and the unsettling smell of unbearing cleanliness. vernon looked at the man clad in white, and glanced back at minghao, a bitter apology lingering on his tongue. instead, as if the words were caught in his throat, he turned toward the open window. 

“i hope i was able to keep you warm.” 

minghao’s heart stopped beating.

**Author's Note:**

> this is so last minute so this sucks but i was gonna make it end cutely and then i saw a chance and i of course made it sad i’m sorry
> 
> if ur confused essentially minghao passed out and died in the cold and vernon was basically an angel that kept him warm so that he passed away in the hospital peacefully.


End file.
